Apparatus for lighting the fires of steam



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

L. CAMPBELL.

APPARATUS FOR LIGHTING THE FIRES 0P STEAM FIRE ENGINES. No. 315,721. Patented Apr. 14, 1885.

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No. 315,721. Patented Apr. 14, 1885.

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UNITED .STATES Fries.

PATENT LOUDON oAMP ELL, or ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA.

@PECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No 315,721, dated April 1%, 1885. Application filed March 1, 1884. summer,

To (LZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, Lennon CAMPBELL, of

Alexandria, county of Alexandria, and State of Virginia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Lighting the Fires of Steam Fire-Engines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

This invention has for its main object the automatic lighting of the fire in a steam fire engine as it leaves the house on the sounding of an alarm; and it consists, mainly, in the combination of one fixed arm or tappet on the front end of the body of the engine with one lever-arm of a gas-cock, which is adapted to permit always the burning of a small flame, and another fixed arm or tappet upon the central or rear portion of the engine with another lever-arm of the gas-coclc,'the construction being such that when the engine is moved forward to leave the house the first tappet-arm is caused to strike one lever-arm of the gas-cock to enlarge the flame and light the fire as the engine passes over it, and the second tappetarm is caused to strike the other lever-arm of the gas-cock after the, fire has been lighted to turn off the gas.

The invention has for a subordinate object the employment, in connection with the automatic apparatus for lighting the fire, of a special apparatus for heating the water in the boiler, the gas in this apparatus also being antomatically shut off as the engine leaves the house.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a par tial side view of a steam fire-engine withsome portions in section, thelengine and apparatus being represented in their normal stationary positions; Fig. 2, a similar view with the engine moved into position to enlarge the flame and light the fire; Fig. 3, a similar view with the engine moved into position to shut off the gas entirely; Fig. 4, a plan view illustrating the parts when in their normal stationary positions as shown in Fig. 1.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand m invention and to use the same practically, I will proceed to describe fully the construction and operation of the same.

For convenience the description will be given under two divisions, as follows: first, the lighting apparatus; second, the heating apparatus.

First. The lighting apparatus.

A represents asteam fire-engine of any proper construction.

(t represents a fined arm or tappet located at or near the front end of the body portion of the" engine, and a. a fixed arm or tappet located at the central or rear portion of the body of the engine, as shown, both of these tappets being preferably located on one side of a longitudinal central line, as shown in Fig. 4-.

a represents the fire-box of the engine, in which the fuel is laid in the ordinary manner, with inflammable kindling substances upon the grate to insure instant ignition when brought in contact with a flame.

B represents a gas-pipe having a standard, 6, adapted in height to extend to a point just belowthe grate-bars of the engine when the latter passes over it, and adapted in position, preferably, to permit the center of the engine to pass over the same as it leaves the house.

1) represents a cock in thepi pe, which is pro-' vided with one lever-arm, b", and another lever-arm, If, these arms being arranged nearly at right angles to each other, as shown. These arms, it will be observed in Fig. 4:, are located in line with the tappets of the engine, so as to be struck by them at the proper time, as will be hereinafter described.

The operation of these parts is substantially as follows: \Vhen the engine stands in the house, the parts are in their normal positions,

as shown in Fig. 1, The arm b of the gascock in this position, it will be observed, is elevated sufficiently to stand in line before the first tappet-arin, a, of the engine. In this position of the cook the gasflame is onlylargc enough to prevent accidental extinguishment. When an alarm is sounded and the engine starts to leave the house, the first tappet, a, almost instantaneously comes in contact with the arm I; of the gas-cock, and moves the same to enlarge the flame, as shown in Fig. 2. As the grate-bars of the engine pass directly over the mass of flame, it follows that the ignition of the inflammable substances in the fire-box must occur. By the depression of the arm If of the gas-cook by the tappet a. the arm I) is elevated into line before the tappet a of the engine, as shown in Fig. 2, and when the engine in its continued movement strikes the same the arm I) is moved into position to shut the gas off, as shown in Fig. 3.

Second. The heating apparatus.

0, Figs. 1, 2, 3, represents a vertical portion of the gas-pipe, of proper height, and c a horizontal portion having a joint, 0, with cock therein, and an end portion, cihaving perforations, as shown. The horizontal portion of the pipe, it will be observed, is adapted to extend into the fire-box of the engine below the boiler in such manner as to discharge the gas-flame from its perforated end beneath the boiler, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4. The cock in the joint is of such construction that when the end p0rti0n,c. ,0f the pipe is in its horizontal position, as shown in Fig. 1,.the'

q cock is open topermit theflow of gas, but

when the end portion is in its inclined position shown in Fig. 3 the cock is closed to shut off the flame of gas.

The operation is substantially as follows: When the engine leaves the house, the end portion,c ,of the pipe is left unsupported and falls into its inclined position, Fig. 3, and shuts off the gas.

Some of the advantages of the described construction are as follows: By'means of the automatic lighting apparatus the necessity for the latter case being automatically shut off.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In combination with tappet-armson the engine, a gas-cock on the floor, having aburner and lever-arms, as and for the purpose described.

2.. In combination with an. engine having tappets a a, the gas-pipe B, with vertical cit-- tension 2), and cook b,withlever-ar1ns b- 'bflas described.

This specification signed and witnessedithis 29th day of February, 1884.

LOUDOI\ CAMPBELL.

Witnesses:

LEONARD MARBURY, A. W. ARMSTRONG. 

